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Jun 12, 2021 · confuse (v.) If you confuse two things, you get them mixed up, so that you think one of them is the other one. I always confuse my left with my right. Collins. To mix up in the mind, to fail to distinguish, erroneously regard as identical, mistake one for another.
Conflate is a more formal way to say "mix together," and it's typically used for texts or ideas. You probably wouldn't say you conflated the ingredients for a cake, but if you blended two different stories together to make a new one, conflate would work.
The correct word to describe two things being combined changes based on context. For example, we would call two metals combined into one an Alloy. Merger is used most often to describe two companies joining into one. It is jargon from the world of business, and seems odd in any other context.
- Spoonerism
- Malapropism
- Other Ways We Play with English Words
A ‘spoonerism’ is when a speaker accidentally mixes up the initial sounds or letters of two words in a phrase. The result is usually humorous.
A ‘malapropism’ is when an incorrect word is used in a sentence that sounds like the correct word but means something completely different.
Blends
One of the easiest ways to get words mixed up is to think of one word while trying to say another. This is how blends end up happening. These mistakes happen regularly in all languages and are usually easy to notice. One famous example in pop culture is from the 2004 film Mean Girls, where the main character Cady gets nervous and accidentally creates the word grool.
Portmanteaus
Sometimes, though, these blends are intentional and become official words of their own. These new words are called portmanteaus and are quite common in English. Don’t believe me? Well, think about the last time you listened to a podcast (iPod + broadcast), breathed in smog (smoke + fog), on met friends for brunch (breakfast + lunch). A relatively new blended word is for a type of food from Louisiana that has increased in popularity in recent years, especially around American Thanksgiving. Do...
I'd say combine means to add two or more things together. You can combine efforts, ingredients, powers, numbers, or pretty much anything as long as there's an additive effect. Conflate means to confuse one thing for another, or not realize there's a difference between the two.
If you mix up two things or people, you confuse them, so that you think that one of them is the other one. 2. If you mix up a number of things, you put things of different kinds together or place things so that they are not in order.
If you mix up a number of things, you put things of different kinds together or place things so that they are not in order. I like to mix up designer clothes. [VERB PARTICLE noun] Put the sauce on top and let people mix everything up or keep separate, as they choose. [VERB noun PARTICLE]
